Chief Engineer - Spacecraft

<p><strong>About Gravitics</strong></p> <p>At Gravitics, we're not exploring space—we're building it. We're creating the infrastructure for a thriving space economy, enabling humanity to flourish beyond Earth. Our vision is bold, but we're not just dreamers; we're doers. We design and manufacture large-scale orbital structures that enable commercial operations while meeting the requirements of defense and government missions.&nbsp;</p> <p>Our systems are built to scale and built to last—bridging commercial innovation with mission-critical performance. If you're ready to lay the foundations for a new era in space, embrace a culture of relentless learning and innovation, and contribute to a future where humanity's reach extends farther, Gravitics is the place for you. Let's build the future together.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>About the Role</strong></p> <p>You serve as both the technical authority and leader of the engineering organization for&nbsp;Gravitics&nbsp;spacecraft, responsible for system design integrity and the capability of the engineering team to deliver it.&nbsp;</p> <p>You will work across all engineering disciplines and partner closely with Program, Manufacturing, and Operations leadership to ensure successful spacecraft development from concept through flight.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><u>Responsibilities&nbsp;</u></strong></p> <p><strong>Technical Authority</strong>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Own system architecture, technical baseline, and design integrity&nbsp;</li> <li>Lead system engineering activities including requirements definition, allocation, and verification&nbsp;</li> <li>Chair technical reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR)&nbsp;</li> <li>Ensure technical rigor, configuration control, and compliance with requirements&nbsp;</li> <li>Identify&nbsp;and resolve complex technical risks and issues&nbsp;</li> <li>Communicate technical status and decisions to program office and leadership&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Engineering Leadership</strong>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Build and lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary engineering team&nbsp;</li> <li>Own hiring, staffing, and capability development&nbsp;</li> <li>Allocate engineering resources across programs&nbsp;</li> <li>Establish and&nbsp;maintain&nbsp;engineering processes and standards&nbsp;&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Integration with Program Execution</strong>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Partner with Program leadership to support successful delivery&nbsp;</li> <li>Align technical decisions with cost and schedule constraints&nbsp;</li> <li>Support manufacturing, integration, test, and mission operations&nbsp;</li> <li>Maintain customer engagement and technical communication&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Accountability</strong>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Accountable for technical success and system integrity&nbsp;</li> <li>Accountable for engineering organizational capability and performance&nbsp;</li> <li>Program cost and schedule accountability&nbsp;resides&nbsp;with Program and COO leadership&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Future Evolution</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p>This role is expected to evolve into separate Chief Engineer and Head of Engineering roles as the company scales.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><u>Required Attributes</u></strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <ul> <li>Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or Software Engineering or similar.&nbsp;</li> <li>Demonstrated&nbsp;past&nbsp;ownership of complex projects.&nbsp;</li> <li>Ability to understand&nbsp;and&nbsp;drive&nbsp;from first principles.&nbsp;</li> <li>Deep understanding of several spacecraft disciplines.&nbsp;</li> <li>Familiarity with ground support systems.&nbsp;</li> <li>Comfort working in fast-paced environments.&nbsp;</li> <li>Excellent&nbsp;verbal and written&nbsp;communication skills.</li> <li>Successful candidates typically have 10-15 years of experience in spacecraft development or operations.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong><em>Bonus&nbsp;Points for</em></strong>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Prior experience working&nbsp;with&nbsp;Commercial,&nbsp;NASA,&nbsp;and&nbsp;DOD customers.&nbsp;</li> <li>Demonstrated&nbsp;leadership in&nbsp;full product lifecycle of one or more vehicle subsystems.&nbsp;</li> <li>Solid fundamentals in&nbsp;FDIR&nbsp;and fault tolerant schemes.&nbsp;</li> <li>Strong familiarity with SMC-S-016&nbsp;and various qualification and&nbsp;protoqualification&nbsp;approaches.&nbsp;</li> <li>Direct experience with rendezvous&nbsp;and&nbsp;proximity operations, including system verification &amp; validation.&nbsp;Familiarity with SSP 50808 and ISO 24330.&nbsp;</li> <li>Willingness to travel up to 25% time&nbsp;to&nbsp;supplier,&nbsp;customer, test, and launch sites.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>Compensation and Benefits</strong></p> <p>For Marysville, WA, the expected base salary range for this role is $190,000 - 230,000. Your level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the considerations of job-related knowledge and skills, education, and direct experience. Salary is just one component of the total employee package, which also includes company equity at an exciting time of company growth, as well as comprehensive medical, 401(k) retirement plan, a generous PTO policy, employee discounts, and more.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>About Compliance</strong></p> <p>To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.<br><br>Gravitics is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ethnicity, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected status.&nbsp;</p><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">Salary Range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$190,000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$230,000 USD</span></div></div></div>